Controlling active fin height of finfet device using etch protection layer to prevent recess of isolation layer during gate oxide removal

ABSTRACT

Semiconductor devices and methods are provided to fabricate fin field-effect transistor (FinFET) devices having uniform fin height profiles. For example, uniformity of fin height profiles for FinFET devices is obtained by implementing a gate oxide removal process which is designed to prevent etching of an isolation layer (e.g., a shallow trench isolation layer) formed of an oxide material during removal of, e.g., sacrificial gate oxide layers of dummy gate structures during a replacement metal gate process.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure generally relates to semiconductor fabricationtechniques and, in particular, techniques for fabricating finfield-effect transistor (FinFET) devices.

BACKGROUND

As semiconductor manufacturing technologies continue to evolve towardsmaller design rules and higher integration densities (e.g., 14 nmtechnology node and beyond), integrated circuit devices and componentsbecome increasingly smaller, creating challenges in layout formation anddevice optimization. Currently, FinFET technologies are typicallyimplemented for FET fabrication, as such technologies provide effectiveCMOS scaling solutions for FET fabrication at, and below, the 14nmtechnology node. A FinFET device comprises a three-dimensionalfin-shaped FET structure which includes at least one verticalsemiconductor fin formed on a substrate, a gate structure formed over aportion of the vertical semiconductor fin, and source/drain layersformed from portions of the vertical semiconductor fin extending fromboth sides of the gate structure. The portion of the verticalsemiconductor fin that is covered by the gate structure between thesource/drain layers comprises a channel region of the FinFET device.

The ability to fabricate vertical semiconductor fins having uniformprofiles has proven to be challenging and non-trivial using currentFinFET process technologies. For example, in a typical bulk FinFETprocess flow in which semiconductor fins are formed on a surface of asemiconductor substrate, a shallow trench isolation (STI) layer isformed to cover bottom portions of vertical semiconductor fins toprovide an isolation layer which isolates the FinFET device elements(e.g., gates, source/drain layers, etc.) from the bulk substrate.However, during a gate oxide etch process (e.g., removing a dummy gateoxide), the exposed portions of the STI layer will be etched andrecessed, resulting in non-uniform heights of the vertical semiconductorfins across the device regions of the wafer or chip. This undesiredrecessing of the STI layer during the oxide etch is even moreproblematic when semiconductor fin profile thinning techniques areapplied to decrease the width of the active portions of the verticalsemiconductor fins which extend above the STI layer. In this instance,the active fin profile of the FinFET devices will include the thinnedportions of the vertical semiconductor fins, as well as a portion of thenon-thinned portion of the vertical semiconductor fins due to theadditional recess of the STI layer. This results in FinFET devices withnon-uniform fin profiles as well as gate structures with a largeeffective oxide thickness (EOT) which creates undesired leakage paths.This situation is even more problematic when over-etch is needed toremove thick thermal oxide layers and the etch rate selectivity betweenthe thermal oxide material and the STI oxide material is poor, such thatsignificant STI oxide loss will occur.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the invention include methods for fabricating FinFETdevices having uniform fin height profiles. For example, one embodimentincludes a method for fabricating a semiconductor device, wherein themethod comprises: forming a vertical semiconductor fin on asemiconductor substrate; forming an isolation layer on the semiconductorsubstrate, wherein the isolation layer covers a bottom portion of thevertical semiconductor fin, and wherein an active portion of thevertical semiconductor fin extends above a surface of the isolationlayer; forming a dummy gate structure to overlap a portion of the activeportion of the vertical semiconductor fin, wherein the dummy gatestructure comprises a sacrificial gate oxide layer, a sacrificial gateelectrode layer formed on the sacrificial gate oxide layer, and a gatesidewall spacer surrounding sidewalls of the sacrificial gate electrodelayer; removing the dummy gate structure by etching the sacrificial gateelectrode layer, etching the sacrificial gate oxide layer, and utilizinga first etch protection layer to prevent recessing of the isolationlayer during the etching of the sacrificial gate oxide layer; andforming a metallic gate structure in place of the dummy gate structure.

Another embodiment includes a method for fabricating a semiconductordevice, wherein the method comprises: forming a vertical semiconductorfin on a semiconductor substrate, the vertical semiconductor fin havinga first width; forming an isolation layer on the semiconductorsubstrate, wherein the isolation layer covers a bottom portion of thevertical semiconductor fin, and wherein an active portion of thevertical semiconductor fin extends above a surface of the isolationlayer; selectively oxidizing a surface of the active portion of thevertical semiconductor fin which extends above a surface of theisolation layer to form a sacrificial gate oxide layer; forming a dummygate structure to overlap a portion of the active portion of thevertical semiconductor fin, wherein the dummy gate structure comprisesthe sacrificial gate oxide layer, a sacrificial gate electrode layerformed on the sacrificial gate oxide layer, and a gate sidewall spacersurrounding sidewalls of the sacrificial gate electrode layer; removingthe dummy gate structure by etching the sacrificial gate electrodelayer, etching the sacrificial gate oxide layer, and utilizing a firstetch protection layer to prevent recessing of the isolation layer duringthe etching of the sacrificial gate oxide layer; and forming a metallicgate structure in place of the dummy gate structure.

Another embodiment includes a semiconductor device. The semiconductordevice comprises: a vertical semiconductor fin formed on a semiconductorsubstrate, the vertical semiconductor fin comprising a first fin portionhaving a first width, and a second fin portion having a second width,wherein the second width is less than the first width; an isolationlayer formed on the semiconductor substrate, wherein the isolation layercovers the first fin portion, and wherein the second fin portion extendsabove a surface of the isolation layer; and a FinFET device formed onthe semiconductor substrate, wherein the FinFET device comprises thesecond fin portion of the vertical semiconductor fin, a gate structurewhich overlaps a portion of the second fin portion of the verticalsemiconductor fin, and source/drain layers formed on exposed portions ofthe second fin portion of the vertical semiconductor fin which extendfrom the gate structure on opposing sides of the gate structure. Theisolation layer prevents the gate structure from being formed in contactwith sidewalls of the first fin portion of the vertical semiconductorfin.

Other embodiments will be described in the following detaileddescription of embodiments, which is to be read in conjunction with theaccompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional side view of a semiconductor device at anintermediate stage of fabrication in which FinFET devices withrespective dummy gate structures are formed on a semiconductorsubstrate.

FIG. 1B is another cross-sectional side view of the semiconductor deviceat the intermediate stage of fabrication in which FinFET devices withrespective dummy gate structures are formed on the semiconductorsubstrate.

FIG. 1C is another cross-sectional side view of the semiconductor deviceat the intermediate stage of fabrication in which FinFET devices withrespective dummy gate structures are formed on the semiconductorsubstrate.

FIG. 1D is a schematic top plan view of the semiconductor device shownin FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C, wherein FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional side viewof the semiconductor device along line 1A-1A in FIG. 1D, wherein FIG. 1Bis a cross-sectional side view of the semiconductor device along line1B-1B in FIG. 1D, and wherein FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional side view ofthe semiconductor device along line 1C-1C in FIG. 1D.

FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional side view of the semiconductor device ofFIG. 1A after removing gate capping layers and sacrificial gateelectrode layers of the dummy gate structures to form gate openings thatexpose sacrificial gate oxide layers of the dummy gate structures andportions of an isolation layer within the gate openings.

FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional side view of the semiconductor device ofFIG. 1B after removing the gate capping layers and the sacrificial gateelectrode layers of the dummy gate structures to form the gate openingsthat expose the sacrificial gate oxide layers of the dummy gatestructures and portions of the isolation layer within the gate openings.

FIG. 2C is a top plan view of the semiconductor device of FIG. 1D afterremoving the gate capping layers and the sacrificial gate electrodelayers of the dummy gate structures to form the gate openings thatexpose the sacrificial gate oxide layers of the dummy gate structuresand portions of the isolation layer within the gate openings.

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional side view of the semiconductor device ofFIG. 2A after selectively forming a first etch protection layer onexposed lateral surfaces of the semiconductor device including exposedsurfaces of the isolation layer within the gate openings.

FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional side view of the semiconductor device ofFIG. 2B after selectively forming the first etch protection layer on theexposed lateral surfaces of the semiconductor device including theexposed surfaces of isolation layer within the gate openings.

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional side view of the semiconductor device ofFIG. 3A after depositing and patterning a sacrificial dielectric layerto form a second etch protection layer which covers portions of thefirst etch protection layer that are disposed on the surfaces of theisolation layer.

FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional side view of the semiconductor device ofFIG. 3B after depositing and patterning the sacrificial dielectric layerto form the second etch protection layer which covers portions of thefirst etch protection layer that are disposed on the surfaces of theisolation layer.

FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional side view of the semiconductor device ofFIG. 4A after performing an etch process to selectively remove portionsof the first etch protection layer which are not covered by the secondetch protection layer.

FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional side view of the semiconductor device ofFIG. 4B after performing the etch process to selectively remove portionsof the first etch protection layer which are not covered by the secondetch protection layer.

FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional side view of the semiconductor device ofFIG. 5A after performing an etch process to selectively remove thesecond etch protection layer.

FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional side view of the semiconductor device ofFIG. 5B after performing the etch process to selectively remove thesecond etch protection layer.

FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional side view of the semiconductor device ofFIG. 6A after performing an etch process to selectively remove thesacrificial gate oxide layers of the dummy gate structures.

FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional side view of the semiconductor device ofFIG. 6B after performing the etch process to selectively remove thesacrificial gate oxide layers of the dummy gate structures.

FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional side view of the semiconductor device ofFIG. 7A after performing an etch process to selectively remove remainingportions of the first etch protection layer.

FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional side view of the semiconductor device ofFIG. 7B after performing the etch process to selectively removeremaining portions of the first etch protection layer.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional side view of the semiconductor device ofFIG. 2B after removing the sacrificial gate oxide layers of the dummygate structures in a conventional process in which the first etchprotection layer is not utilized to protect the isolation layer duringetching of the sacrificial gate oxide layers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the invention will now be discussed in further detailwith methods for fabricating FinFET devices having uniform fin heightprofiles. As explained in further detail below, a uniform fin heightprofile for FinFET devices is obtained by implementing a gate oxideremoval process which is configured to prevent etching of an isolationlayer (e.g., STI layer) during removal of, e.g., sacrificial gate oxidelayers of dummy gate structures. It is to be understood that the variouslayers, structures, and regions shown in the accompanying drawings areschematic illustrations that are not drawn to scale. In addition, forease of explanation, one or more layers, structures, and regions of atype commonly used to form semiconductor devices or structures may notbe explicitly shown in a given drawing. This does not imply that anylayers, structures, and regions not explicitly shown are omitted fromthe actual semiconductor structures.

Furthermore, it is to be understood that the embodiments discussedherein are not limited to the particular materials, features, andprocessing steps shown and described herein. In particular, with respectto semiconductor processing steps, it is to be emphasized that thedescriptions provided herein are not intended to encompass all of theprocessing steps that may be required to form a functional semiconductorintegrated circuit device. Rather, certain processing steps that arecommonly used in forming semiconductor devices, such as, for example,wet cleaning and annealing steps, are purposefully not described hereinfor economy of description.

Moreover, the same or similar reference numbers are used throughout thedrawings to denote the same or similar features, elements, orstructures, and thus, a detailed explanation of the same or similarfeatures, elements, or structures will not be repeated for each of thedrawings. It is to be understood that the terms “about” or“substantially” as used herein with regard to thicknesses, widths,percentages, ranges, etc., are meant to denote being close orapproximate to, but not exactly. For example, the term “about” or“substantially” as used herein implies that a small margin of error maybe present, such as 1% or less than the stated amount.

To provide spatial context, XYZ Cartesian coordinates are shown in thedrawings of semiconductor structures. It is to be understood that theterm “vertical” as used herein denotes a Z-direction of the Cartesiancoordinates shown in the drawings, and that the terms “horizontal” or“lateral” as used herein denotes an X-direction and/or Y-direction ofthe Cartesian coordinates shown in the drawings, which is perpendicularto the Z-direction.

FIGS. 1A through 9B schematically illustrate a process for fabricatingFinFET devices having uniform fin height profiles, according to anembodiment of the invention. To begin, FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D areschematic views of a semiconductor device 100 at an intermediate stageof fabrication in which FinFET devices D1 and D2 with respective dummygate structures G1 and G2 are formed on a semiconductor substrate. FIG.1D is a schematic top plan view (X-Y plane) of the semiconductor device100, while FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C are cross-sectional side views of thesemiconductor device 100 along planes that are represented by respectivelines shown in FIG. 1D. In particular, FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional sideview (X-Z plane) of the semiconductor device 100 along line 1A-1A inFIG. 1D. FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional side view (Y-Z plane) of thesemiconductor device 100 along line 1B-1B in FIG. 1D, and FIG. 1C is across-sectional side view (Y-Z plane) of the semiconductor device 100along line 1C-1C in FIG. 1D.

As shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D, the semiconductor device 100comprises a semiconductor substrate 110, a plurality of verticalsemiconductor fins 115, an isolation layer 120, gate structures G1, G2,G3, and G4, source/drain (S/D) layers 140, 141, and 142, and aninter-level dielectric (ILD) layer 150 (or pre-metal deposition (PMD)layer). In this stage of fabrication, the gate structures G1, G2, G3,and G4 comprise dummy gate structures, wherein each gate structure G1,G2, G3, and G4 comprises a sacrificial gate oxide layer 130 (e.g., dummygate oxide), and a sacrificial gate electrode layer 132 (e.g., dummygate polysilicon layer), which are formed over respective portions(e.g., channel regions) of the vertical semiconductor fins 115. The gatestructures G1, G2, G3, and G4 are encapsulated in dielectric material(e.g., silicon nitride (SiN), silicon boron carbon nitride (SiBCN),etc.) in the form of gate sidewall spacers 134 and gate capping layers136.

As shown in FIGS. 1A, 1C, and 1D, for example, the S/D layers 140, 141,and 142 are formed on exposed portions of the vertical semiconductorfins 115 which extend above the isolation layer 120 and which extendfrom the sides of the gate structures G1, G2, G3, and G4. Asspecifically shown in FIGS. 1C and 1D, for example, the S/D layers 140,141, and 142 comprise faceted epitaxial layers that are grown on theexposed portions of the vertical semiconductor fins 115, wherein thefaceted epitaxial layers are overgrown to form merged S/D structures.

In the illustrative embodiment, the FinFET device D1 comprises the gatestructure G1 and the S/D layers 140 and 141 formed on opposing sides ofthe gate structure G1. Similarly, the FinFET device D2 comprises thegate structure G2 and the S/D layers 141 and 142 formed on opposingsides of the gate structure G2. Each gate structure G1 and G2 is formedover a portion of three vertical semiconductor fins 115. In this regard,each FinFET device D1 and D2 is configured as a multi-fin FinFETstructure comprising, for example, three FinFET segments connected inparallel to form a multi-fin FinFET device. Further, in the exampleembodiment shown in FIG. 1D, the S/D layer 141 between the gatestructures G1 and G2 serves as a common S/D layer that is shared by theFinFET devices D1 and D2, such that the FinFET devices D1 and D2 areconnected in series.

As further shown in the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 1A-1D, the gatestructures G3 and G4 are formed to encapsulate the end portions of thevertical semiconductor fins 115. In this embodiment, the gate structuresG3 and G4 are not functional gate structures for FinFET devices.Instead, the gate structures G3 and G4 serve as dummy elements thatisolate the end portions of the vertical semiconductor fins 115 andlimit the extent of the growth of epitaxial material on the end portionsof the vertical semiconductor fins 115 so as to achieve symmetry in thestructural profile of the S/D layers 140, 141, and 142. Indeed, withoutthe presence of the dummy gate elements G3 and G4, the size andstructure of the S/D layers 140 and 142 would differ from that of thecommon S/D layer 141.

The semiconductor device 100 shown in FIGS. 1A-1D can be fabricatedusing known semiconductor fabrication techniques and semiconductormaterials. For example, the semiconductor substrate 110 is illustratedas a generic substrate layer, and may comprise various structures andlayers of semiconductor material. In one embodiment, the semiconductorsubstrate 110 comprises a bulk semiconductor substrate (e.g., wafer)formed of, e.g., silicon (Si), or other types of semiconductor substratematerials that are commonly used in bulk semiconductor fabricationprocesses such as germanium (Ge), a silicon-germanium (SiGe) alloy,silicon carbide (SiC), silicon-germanium carbide alloy, or compoundsemiconductor materials (e.g. III-V or II-VI, etc.). Non-limitingexamples of III-V compound semiconductor materials include galliumarsenide, indium arsenide, and indium phosphide. In another embodiment,the semiconductor substrate 110 comprises a silicon-on-insulator (SOI)substrate, or a semiconductor-on-insulator (SemOI) substrate, whichcomprises an insulating layer (e.g., oxide layer) disposed between abase substrate layer (e.g., silicon substrate) and an activesemiconductor layer (e.g., active Si or SiGe layer) in which activecircuit components are formed as part of a FEOL (front end of line)structure.

The vertical semiconductor fins 115 and the isolation layer 120 can befabricated using various methods. For example, for bulk and SOI/SemOIsubstrate embodiments, the vertical semiconductor fins 115 can be formedby patterning an active silicon layer (e.g., crystalline silicon,crystalline SiGe, III-V compound semiconductor material, etc.) at thesurface of a bulk semiconductor substrate or the SOI/SemOI substrate toform a pattern of vertical semiconductor fins 115 in different deviceregions across the semiconductor wafer, three of which are shown inFIGS. 1A-1D for ease of illustration. In one embodiment, the verticalsemiconductor fins 115 may be patterned from a crystalline SiGe layerthat is epitaxially grown on top of a bulk silicon substrate or a bulkgermanium substrate. A crystalline SiGe layer that is formed using anepitaxial growth process may comprise a relaxed SiGe layer or a strainedSiGe layer. As is known in the art, strain engineering is utilized toenhance the carrier mobility for MOS transistors, wherein differenttypes of Si—SiGe heterostructures can be fabricated to obtain and/oroptimize different properties for CMOS FET devices. For example, siliconcan be epitaxially grown on a SiGe substrate layer to form a strained Silayer. Moreover, a strained SiGe layer can be epitaxially grown on asilicon substrate layer. A strained-Si/relaxed-SiGe structure provides atensile strain which primarily improves electron mobility for n-type FETdevices, while a strained-SiGe/relaxed-Si structure provides acompressive strain which primarily improves hole mobility for p-type FETdevices.

After forming the vertical semiconductor fins 115, the isolation layer120 can be formed using known techniques. For example, a layer ofinsulating material (e.g., silicon oxide) is deposited to cover thevertical semiconductor fins 115, and then planarized (viachemical-mechanical planarization (CMP)) down to the top of the verticalsemiconductor fins 115, and then further recessed (to a target levelbelow the upper surface of the vertical semiconductor fins 115) using anetch-back process (e.g., selective Reactive Ion Etch (RIE) process) toform the isolation layer 120. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the isolationlayer 120 is etched down to a target level to expose upper portions ofthe vertical semiconductor fin structures 115, which defines a baselineactive fin height H for the FinFET devices D1 and D2. In one embodimentof the invention, the oxide material of the isolation layer 120 can beselectively etched using RIE, although other etching processes may beemployed. A timed etch can be performed to remove a desired amount ofthe insulating material to recess the isolation layer 120 down to atarget thickness as needed to achieve the desired active fin height H ofthe vertical semiconductor fins 115.

Next, the gate structures G1, G2, G3 and G4 are fabricated using knownprocess flows to form dummy gates. For example, in one embodiment, aconformal oxide layer (which forms the sacrificial oxide layers 130) isformed to cover the exposed portions of the vertical semiconductor fins115. The conformal oxide layer can be formed by thermally growing anoxide layer (e.g., silicon oxide) on the exposed surfaces ofsemiconductor fins 115 (e.g., Si or SiGe fin surfaces, etc.) using knowntechniques, or by depositing a conformal layer of oxide material (e.g.,silicon dioxide) over the surface of the semiconductor substrate usingknown techniques such as atomic layer deposition (ALD), chemical vapordeposition (CVD), etc.

In another embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C, the conformal oxidelayer can be formed by oxidizing the exposed surfaces of the verticalsemiconductor fins 115 (above the isolation layer 120) to a target depthto form the thin sacrificial oxide layer 130. In one embodiment, theoxidation process is performed using a low-temperature plasma-assistedoxidation process, with an oxygen plasma stream generated using knowntechniques and other precursors (inert gases) such as nitrogen or argon.This process results in selectively oxidizing the surface of the activeportions of the vertical semiconductor fins 115 which extends above asurface of the isolation layer 120 to form the sacrificial gate oxidelayers 130. The oxidation process can be adjusted to oxidize differentsurfaces of the vertical semiconductor fins 115 at different rates. Forexample, when the sidewall surfaces of the vertical semiconductor fins115 have a (110) crystal orientation, the oxidation process is performedat double (2×) the rate as compared to oxidation of (100) or (111)crystal surfaces.

In this embodiment, subsequent removal of the sacrificial oxide layers130 results in the thinning of the width profiles of the upper (active)portions of the vertical semiconductor fins 115 which extend above theisolation layer 120. In particular, as shown in FIG. 1B, while thevertical semiconductor fins 115 are initially formed with an initialthickness W, the oxidation process is performed to oxidize the exposedsurfaces of the semiconductor fins 115 to a target depth (e.g., about 1nm to 5 nm) within the exposed surfaces of the vertical semiconductorfins 115. In this regard, subsequent removal of the sacrificial oxidelayers 130 results in removal of material thickness from the surfaces ofthe semiconductor fins 115, resulting in the formation of activeportions of the vertical semiconductor fins 115 with thinner widthprofiles W′, where W′<W.

In another embodiment, the sacrificial oxide layer can be formed ofmultiple layers. For example, the sacrificial oxide layer can have afirst layer that is formed by selectively oxidizing the semiconductormaterial of the exposed surfaces of the vertical semiconductor fins 115,and a second oxide layer that is selectively grown or deposited on theoxidized surfaces of the vertical semiconductor fins 115. In otherembodiments, when FinFET devices in certain device regions of the waferare to be utilized as input/output (I/O) transistors which require arelatively large current flow, the sacrificial gate oxide layers of thedummy gate structures of the FinFET devices are formed with relativelythick gate dielectric layers (e.g., silicon oxide). During a subsequentmetal gate replacement process, the gate dielectric layers aremaintained (i.e., not removed) in the device regions having FinFETdevices which are utilized as I/O transistors devices, while the gatedielectric layers are removed in the device regions having FinFETdevices which require think, high-k gate dielectric layers. The thickgate oxide layers for I/O FinFET devices are designed to withstandtime-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) and other gate failuremechanisms that may result from high power applications.

Following formation of the sacrificial gate oxide layers 130, a layer ofsacrificial silicon material (e.g., polysilicon or amorphous silicon),is then blanket deposited over the semiconductor substrate and thenplanarized. The layer of sacrificial silicon material forms the dummygate electrode layers 132 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The layer ofsacrificial silicon material can be deposited using known methods suchas CVD, physical vapor deposition (PVD), electro-chemical deposition,and other suitable deposition methods. The layer of sacrificial siliconmaterial can be planarized using CMP.

The sacrificial layer of silicon is then patterned to form thesacrificial gate electrode layers 132 of the dummy gate structures. Thepatterning can be performed by depositing a layer of hard mask material(e.g., SiN) and patterning the layer of hard mask material to form ahard mask with an image that defines an image of the dummy gatestructures. The patterning of the hard mask layer can be performedusing, for example, a multi-patterning process such as a Sidewall ImageTransfer (SIT) process, as is known in the art. The hard mask is thenused in an anisotropic etch process to etch away exposed portions of thesacrificial layer of silicon down to the isolation layer 120 to form thesacrificial gate electrode layers 132. In addition, an oxide etchprocess is then performed to selectively remove the portions of thesacrificial oxide layers on the surfaces of the vertical semiconductorfins 115 outside of the gate regions, which allows epitaxialsource/drain material to be grown on the surface areas of the verticalsemiconductor fins 115 outside of the gate regions (as shown in FIG. 1C,for example). In the example embodiment of FIGS. 1A-1D, the gate cappinglayers 136 represent portions of the hard mask which remain at thecompletion of the dummy gate patterning process.

As shown in FIG. 1C, removing the sacrificial oxide layers 130 from thesurfaces of the vertical semiconductor fins 115 outside of the gateregions G1, G2, G3, and G4 results in a slight recessing of the exposedportion of the isolation layer 120 outside of the gate regions. Therecessing of the isolation layer 120 outside the gate regions results inthe exposure of an upper region of the wider (W) portions of thevertical semiconductor fins 115. However, since the recessed portions ofthe isolation layer 120 are outside of the gate regions G1, G2, G3, andG4, the recessing of the isolation layer 120 outside of the gate regionsG1, G2, G3, and G4 would not cause the performance issues of the FinFETdevices (e.g., device leakage) as discussed herein as would arise as aresult of recessing of the isolation layer 120 within the gate regions.

The gate sidewall spacers 134 are then formed by conformally depositingand patterning a layer of dielectric material (or multiple layers) suchas SiN, SiBCN, or other low-k dielectric materials which are suitablefor use as gate insulating spacers for gate structures of FinFETdevices. The one or more layers of dielectric material can be depositedusing plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), atomic layerdeposition (ALD), or other suitable deposition methods which enable thedeposition of thin films of dielectric material with high conformality.The conformal layer of dielectric material is anisotropically etchedusing a directional RIE process remove portions of the conformal layerof dielectric material from lateral surfaces, while leaving portions ofthe conformal layer of dielectric material on vertical surfaces, tothereby form the gate sidewall spacers 134 which surround sacrificialgate electrode layers 132.

After forming the gate sidewall spacers 134, the process flow continueswith forming the S/D layers 140, 141, and 142 on the exposed portions ofthe vertical semiconductor fins 115 extending from the sidewalls of thegate structures G1, G2, G3, and G4. In one embodiment of the invention,the S/D layers 140, 141, and 142 are formed by growing epitaxialsemiconductor material on the exposed surfaces of the S/D layers of thevertical semiconductor fins 115 adjacent to the gate structures G1, G2,G3, and G4. The type of epitaxial material and doping that is used toform the S/D layers 140, 141, and 142 will vary depending on whether theFinFET devices D1 and D2 are P-type or N-type devices. As shown in FIG.1C and 1D, the source/drain layers are epitaxially grown on the exposedportions of the vertical semiconductor fins 115 so that the source/drainlayers which are formed on adjacent vertical semiconductor fins 115eventually merge to collectively form the S/D layers 140, 141, and 142.The S/D layers 140, 141, and 142 are formed by epitaxially growingcrystalline semiconductor material on (and slightly within) the exposedsurfaces of the semiconductor fins 115 using known techniques, such asCVD (chemical vapor deposition), MOCVD (metal-organic chemical vapordeposition), LPCVD (low pressure chemical vapor deposition), MBE(molecular beam epitaxy), VPE (vapor-phase epitaxy), MOMBE (metalorganic molecular beam epitaxy), or other known epitaxial growthtechniques.

Following formation of the S/D layers 140, 141, and 142, the processflow continues with depositing and planarizing a layer of dielectricmaterial to form the ILD layer 150. The ILD layer 150 is formed, forexample, by depositing one or more layers of insulating material overthe surface of the semiconductor substrate to cover the dummy gatestructures, and then planarizing the surface of the semiconductorsubstrate down to a level which exposes the upper surface of the gatecapping layers 136 of the gate structures G1, G2, G3, and G4. The ILDlayer 150 can be formed using suitable dielectric materials including,but not limited to, silicon oxide, hydrogenated silicon carbon oxide(SiCOH), SiCH, SiCNH, or other types of silicon based low-k dielectrics(e.g., k less than about 4.0), porous dielectrics, or known ULK(ultra-low-k) dielectric materials (with k less than about 2.5). Forexample, the ILD layer 150 may comprise a single deposited layer ofinsulating material, or multiple layers of insulating material (e.g., afirst layer of a flowable oxide and a second layer of insulatingmaterial formed on the first layer). The ILD layer 150 may be depositedusing known deposition techniques, such as, for example, ALD, PECVD, PVD(physical vapor deposition), or spin-on deposition.

Following formation of the ILD layer 150, the process flow continueswith a replacement metal gate (RMG) process module to remove the dummygate structures (i.e., remove the sacrificial gate electrode layers 132and sacrificial gate oxide layers 130), and form metallic gatestructures in place of the dummy gate structures. As explained infurther detail below, a uniform fin height profile for FinFET devices D1and D2 is obtained by implementing a gate oxide removal process modulewhich is configured to prevent etching of the isolation layer 120 withinthe gate regions during removal of the sacrificial gate oxide layers130.

To begin, FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C are schematic views of the semiconductordevice of FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1D, respectively, after removing the gatecapping layers 136 and the sacrificial gate electrode layers 132 of thedummy gate structures to form gate openings 138 which expose thesacrificial gate oxide layers 130 of the dummy gate structures andportions of the isolation layer 120 within the gate openings 138. FIG.2C is a schematic top plan view (X-Y plane) of the semiconductor device100, FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional side view (X-Z plane) of thesemiconductor device 100 along line 2A-2A in FIG. 2C, and FIG. 2B is across-sectional side view (Y-Z plane) of the semiconductor device 100along line 2B-2B in FIG. 2C.

The gate capping layers 136 are removed using known techniques. Forexample, in one embodiment, a chemical-mechanical polish (CMP) processcan be used to recess the surface of the semiconductor device 100 downto an upper surface of the sacrificial gate electrode layers 132 of thedummy gate structures. With the CMP process, the ILD layer 150 and thegate sidewall spacers 134 are also recessed. In another embodiment, thegate capping layers 136 can be removed by forming an etch mask on thesurface of the semiconductor device, wherein the etch mask comprisesopenings to expose the gate capping layers 136, and performing a RIEprocess having an etch chemistry configured to anisotropically etch awaythe gate capping layers 136 and expose the underlying sacrificial gateelectrode layers 132.

The sacrificial gate electrode layers 132 are then removed using a wetetch process (e.g., TetraMethyl Ammonium Hydroxide (TMAH) chemical etchsolution), or a dry etch process (e.g., NF₃+H₂ gas phase chemical etch),which is configured to etch away the sacrificial silicon material of thedummy gate electrode layers 132 selective to the dielectric andinsulating materials of the gate sidewall spacers 134, the underlyingsacrificial gate oxide layers 130, and the portions of the isolationlayer 120 exposed within the gate openings 138. The dummy gate electrodeetch process is performed to expose the underlying sacrificial gateoxide layers 130 of the dummy gate structures, resulting in thesemiconductor structures shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C. As shown in FIG.2C, the gate openings 138 comprise opened areas surrounded by (anddefined by) the gate sidewall spacers 134 of the gate structures G1, G2,G3, and G4.

A next stage of the fabrication process comprises removing thesacrificial gate oxide layers 130, which are exposed within the gateopenings 138, using a process module which prevents etching portions ofthe isolation layer 120 exposed at the bottom of the gate openings 138(at the bottom of the opened gate structures G1, G2, G3, and G4). As aninitial step, FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic views of the semiconductordevice of FIGS. 2A and 2B, respectively, after selectively forming afirst etch protection layer 160 on exposed lateral surfaces of thesemiconductor device including the surfaces of the portions of theisolation layer 120 exposed within the gate openings 138. In oneembodiment, the first etch protection layer 160 is formed byanisotropically depositing a layer of material using a deposition methodin which the material of the first etch protection layer 160 is onlydeposited on horizontal (lateral) surfaces of the semiconductor surfacetopography.

The first etch protection layer 160 is formed with any suitable materialthat can be etched selective to the oxide and nitride materials of,e.g., the isolation layer 120, the sacrificial gate oxide layers 130,and the gate sidewall spacers 134. For example, in one embodiment, thefirst etch protection layer 160 comprises a layer of silicon carbide(SiC) which is deposited using a high-density plasma (HDP) CVD processwith bias, using known techniques. An SiC etch protection layer 160 canbe formed by an HDP-CVD process that uses a gaseous mixture whichincludes a hydrocarbon-containing gas such as methane and asilicon-containing gas such as silane. The HDP deposition chemistry canbe configured to obtain precise thickness control and a highlyanisotropic deposition profile using known techniques. In otherembodiments, the first etch protection layer 160 can be formed ofmaterials such as SiN, silicon oxycarbonitride (SiOCN), silicon carbonoxide (SiCO), amorphous-Si, etc., which provides the etch selectivity asnoted above, and which can be deposited with precise thickness andanisotropic deposition profile control.

The first etch protection layer 160 is utilized to protect the exposedportions of the isolation layer 120 within the gate openings 138 frombeing etched during a subsequent process in which the sacrificial gateoxide layers 130 are removed. In this regard, those portions of thefirst etch protection layer 160 which are disposed on the ILD layer 150and on the upper surfaces of the sacrificial gate oxide layers 130 abovethe vertical semiconductor fins 115 will be removed prior to the gateoxide etch process, while leaving those portions of the first etchprotection layer 160 which are disposed on the surfaces of the isolationlayer 120 within the gate openings 138. The removal of target portionsof the first etch protection layer 160 is achieved by forming a secondetch protection layer to cover those portions of the first etchprotection layer 160 that are disposed on the surfaces of the isolationlayer 120 within the gate openings 138, followed by a selective etchprocess to remove those portions of the first etch protection layer 160which are not covered by the second etch protection layer, asschematically illustrated in FIGS. 4A, 4B, 5A, and 5B.

In particular, FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic views of the semiconductordevice of FIGS. 3A and 3B, respectively, after depositing and patterninga sacrificial dielectric layer to form a second etch protection layer165 which covers portions of the first etch protection layer 160 thatare disposed on the surfaces of the isolation layer 120 within the gateopenings 138. In one embodiment, the second etch protection layer 165 isformed by depositing a self-planarizing layer of dielectric material(e.g., organic planarizing layer (OPL)), followed by an etch-backprocess to recess the self-planarizing layer of dielectric material to atarget level below the upper surfaces of the vertical semiconductor fins115. The second etch protection layer 165 can be formed of any suitableself-planarizing dielectric material that can be deposited by spincoating and then either baked to enhance planarization or hardenedphotochemically.

In another embodiment, when the sacrificial gate oxide layers are to beutilized as gate dielectric layers for high-power I/O FinFET devices incertain device regions across the wafer, those sacrificial gate oxidelayers are protected from etching during the dummy gate removal process.In this embodiment, following deposition of the self-planarizing layerof dielectric material (e.g., OPL), an anti-reflection coating (ARC)layer (e.g., Si-ARC) and a photoresist layer can be sequentially formedon the self-planarizing layer of dielectric material prior to performingthe etch-back process. A photoresist etch mask is then formed byphotolithographically patterning the photoresist layer (using a suitableexposure and developing process), wherein the photoresist mask comprisesopenings which expose FinFET device regions where the sacrificial oxidelayers will be removed, and wherein the photoresist mask covers FinFETdevice regions where the sacrificial gate oxide layers are to be used asgate dielectric layers for metal gates of the FinFET devices. In thismanner, only those portions of the self-planarizing layer of dielectricmaterial which are exposed by the photoresist mask are etched-back, asdiscussed above.

The process of forming the second etch protection layer 165 has arelatively large process window with regard to the precision in theetch-back process. In particular, the etch-back process only needs to beperformed so that the thickness of the second etch protection layer 165is recessed to any level that is at or below the upper surface of thevertical semiconductor fins 115. As such, there is flexibility and largemargin in the etch-back process to form the second etch protection layer165. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, following the etch-back process, theportions of the first etch protection layer 160 on the ILD layer 150 andthe lateral surfaces of the sacrificial gate oxide layer 130 areexposed, while the portions of the first etch protection layer 160disposed on the isolation layer 120 are covered by the second etchprotection mask 165.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are schematic views of the semiconductor device of FIGS.4A and 4B, respectively, after performing an etch process to selectivelyremove portions of the first etch protection layer 160 which are notcovered by the second etch protection layer 165. The etch process can beperformed using a wet etch process or a dry etch process, which has anetch chemistry and etch environment that allows the material (e.g., SiC)of the first etch protection layer 160 be etched highly selective to thematerials of the ILD layer 150, the gate sidewall spacers 134, thesacrificial gate oxide layers 130, and the second etch protection layer165. For example, when the first etch protection layer 160 is formed ofSiC material, the first etch protection layer 160 can be dry etched (viaRIE) highly selective (e.g., 100:1) to the oxide and nitride materialsof the ILD layer 150, the gate sidewall spacers 134, and the sacrificialgate oxide layers 130 using, for example, an etching gas which includesa hydrogen-containing fluorocarbon gas such as CH₃F, anoxygen-containing gas such as O₂ and an optional carrier gas such as Ar.

Following removal of the selected portions of the first etch protectionlayer 160, the process flow continues with stripping away the secondetch protection layer 165, removing the sacrificial gate oxide layers130, and then removing remaining portions of the first etch protectionlayer 160. For example, FIGS. 6A and 6B are schematic views of thesemiconductor device of FIGS. 5A and 5B, respectively, after performingan etch process to selectively remove the second etch protection layer165. The second etch protection layer 165 can be etched using anysuitable wet etch or dry etch technique, wherein the etch chemistry andetch environment is configured to etch the material of the second etchprotection layer 165 selective to the materials of the surroundingfeatures/elements.

Next, FIGS. 7A and 7B are schematic views of the semiconductor device ofFIGS. 6A and 6B, respectively, after performing an etch process toselectively remove the sacrificial gate oxide layers 130 of the dummygate structures. During the gate oxide etch process, the underlyingportions of the isolation layer 120 within the gate openings 128 areprotected by the first etch protection layer 160, which preventsrecessing and loss of the thickness of the isolation layer 120. Asfurther shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the removal of the sacrificial gateoxide layer 130 results in the formation of thinned upper portions ofthe semiconductor fins 115 (active fin portions) above the isolationlayer 120 within the gate regions, wherein the active fin height H haswidth W′ which is less than the initial width W of the bottom portionsof the semiconductor fins 115 which are covered by the isolation layer120.

In one embodiment, the sacrificial gate oxide layers 130 are removedusing an isotropic etch process which has an etch chemistry that isconfigured to etch the material of the sacrificial gate oxide layers 130highly selective to the material of the first etch protection layer 160.For example, when the first etch protection layer 160 is formed of SiC,an etch selectivity of 100:1 (oxide: SiC) can be achieved using anHF-based wet etch chemistry. Since the thickness of the first protectionlayer 160 (e.g., thickness of an SiC layer) can be precisely controlled,and since the selectivity of the oxide etch can be precisely controlled,no variation in the oxide removal process of FIGS. 7A and 7B isintroduced and, thus, the underlying isolation layer 120 can be readilyprotected from being etched during removal of the sacrificial gate oxidelayers 130.

Next, FIGS. 8A and 8B are schematic views of the semiconductor device ofFIGS. 7A and 7B, respectively, after performing an etch process toselectively remove remaining portions of the first etch protection layer160. In one embodiment, the remaining portions of the first etchprotection layer 160 are removed using a wet etch process or dry etchprocess having an etch chemistry which is highly selective to thematerials of the first etch protection layer 160 so as toprevent/minimize etching of the materials of, e.g., the isolation layer120, the semiconductor fins 115, and the gate sidewall spacers 134. Forexample, in one embodiment where the first etch protection layer 160 isformed of SiC, a dry etch process can be performed to etch the first(SiC) etch protection layer 160 highly selective to silicon oxide andsilicon nitride materials using an etch gas comprising ahydrogen-containing fluorocarbon gas such as CH₃F, an oxygen-containinggas such as O₂ and an optional carrier gas such as Ar.

As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, following removal of the remaining portionsof the first etch protection layer 160, the portions of the isolationlayer 120 within the gate openings 138 are not recessed below the activefin height H of the upper portions (active and thinned portions) of thesemiconductor fins 115 (active and thinned portions). In particular, asschematically illustrated in FIGS. 8A and 8B, an upper surface of theisolation layer 120 is a substantially level with a transition regionbetween the upper (thinner) active portion (width of W′) of the verticalsemiconductor fin 115 and the lower (wider) inactive portion (width ofW) of the vertical semiconductor fin 115. As such, the isolation layer120 is not recessed, and remains to fully cover the bottom portions(inactive and wider portions) of the semiconductor fins 115, thusachieving a uniform CD (critical dimension) in the vertical (height)direction of the semiconductor fins 115. This is to be contrasted withconventional methods where the first etch protection layer 160 is notutilized, which results in the isolation layer 120 within the gateopenings 138 being recessed during etching and removal of thesacrificial gate oxide layers 130, which results in a non-uniform CD ofthe vertical semiconductor fins 115 in the vertical height directionwithin the gate regions.

By way of example, FIG. 9 is schematic view of the semiconductor deviceof FIG. 2B after removing the sacrificial gate oxide layers 130 of thedummy gate structures in a conventional process in which the first etchprotection layer 160 is not utilized to protect the isolation layer 120during etching of the sacrificial gate oxide layers 130. As shown inFIG. 9, removal of the sacrificial gate oxide layers 130 would result inetching of the exposed surface of the isolation layer 120 within theopened gate region 138, thereby resulting in the recessing of theexposed upper surface of the isolation layer 120 by an amount H1. Therecessing of the isolation layer 120 results in the exposure of an upperregion of the wider (W) portions of the vertical semiconductor fins 115by the amount H1. In this process, the active fin height (H+H1) of thevertical semiconductor fins 115 within the gate regions is increased,wherein each vertical semiconductor fin 115 has a non-uniform vertical(height) profile comprising a thinned upper portion (W′) of height H,and a wider lower portion (W) of height H1. As noted above, thisnon-uniformity in the active height profile of the verticalsemiconductor fins 115 can decrease devices performance due to, e.g.,undesired leakage paths in the FinFET gate structures.

Following removal of the remaining portions of the first etch protectionlayer 160, metallic gate structures of the FinFET devices D1 and D2 areformed using known techniques. For example, the metallic gate structurescan be formed to include gate dielectric layers and metallic gateelectrode layers. The metallic gate structures are formed by depositingone or more conformal layers of gate dielectric material over thesurface of the semiconductor structure, depositing one or more layers ofconductive material over the gate dielectric material, and performing aplanarization process (e.g., CMP) to polish the surface of thesemiconductor structure down to the ILD layer 150. The CMP processserves to remove the overburden portions of the gate dielectric andconductive materials and, thus, form the gate dielectric layers and themetallic gate electrode layers of the gate structures G1, G2, G3 and G4.As noted above, the resulting metallic gate structures for gates G1 andG2 are functional gate structures of the FinFET devices D1 and D2,respectively, while the resulting metallic gate structures for gate G3and G4 are non-functional gate structures which are formed for reasonsdiscussed above.

The gate dielectric layers are formed with any suitable dielectricmaterial including, for example, nitride, oxynitride, or oxide or ahigh-k dielectric material having a dielectric constant of about 3.9 orgreater. In particular, the gate dielectric material can include siliconoxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, boron nitride, high-kmaterials, or any combination of these materials. Examples of high-kmaterials include, but are not limited to, metal oxides such as hafniumoxide, hafnium silicon oxide, hafnium silicon oxynitride, lanthanumoxide, lanthanum aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, zirconium siliconoxide, zirconium silicon oxynitride, tantalum oxide, titanium oxide,barium strontium titanium oxide, barium titanium oxide, strontiumtitanium oxide, yttrium oxide, aluminum oxide, lead scandium tantalumoxide, and lead zinc niobate. The high-k gate dielectric material mayfurther include dopants such as lanthanum, aluminum. In one embodimentof the invention, the conformal layer of gate dielectric material isformed with a thickness in a range of about 0.5 nm to about 2.5 nm,which will vary depending on the target application. The gate dielectricmaterial of the gate dielectric layers is deposited using known methodssuch as ALD, which allows for high conformality of the gate dielectricmaterial.

The gate electrode layers are formed with any suitable conductivematerial including, for example, doped polycrystalline or amorphoussilicon, germanium, silicon germanium, a metal (e.g., tungsten,titanium, tantalum, ruthenium, zirconium, cobalt, copper, aluminum,lead, platinum, tin, silver, gold), a conducting metallic compoundmaterial (e.g., tantalum nitride, titanium nitride, tantalum carbide,titanium carbide, titanium aluminum carbide, tungsten silicide, tungstennitride, ruthenium oxide, cobalt silicide, nickel silicide), carbonnanotube, conductive carbon, graphene, or any suitable combination ofsuch conductive materials. The layer of conductive material may furthercomprise dopants that are incorporated during or after deposition. Thelayer of conductive material is deposited using a suitable depositionprocess, for example, CVD, PECVD, PVD, plating, thermal or e-beamevaporation, sputtering, etc.

In another embodiment, a thin conformal layer of work function metal(WFM) may be deposited over the conformal gate dielectric layer prior toforming the gate electrode layer. The thin conformal WFM layer can beformed of one or more types of metallic materials, including, but notlimited to, TiN, TaN, TiAlC, Zr, W, Hf, Ti, Al, Ru, Pa, TiAl, ZrAl, WAl,TaAl, HfAl, TiAlC, TaC, TiC, TaMgC, or other work function metals oralloys that are commonly used to obtain target work functions which aresuitable for the type (e.g., n-type or p-type) of vertical FET devicesthat are to be formed. The conformal WFM layer is deposited using knownmethods such as ALD, CVD, etc. In one embodiment, the conformal WFMlayer is formed with a thickness in a range of about 2 nm to about 5 nm.In another embodiment, the conductive material that forms the gateelectrode layers can serve as a WFM layer.

The type of gate structures that are formed will depend on the type ofFinFET devices D1 and D2. For example, when the FinFET devices D1 and D2are utilized in logic circuity requiring high-performance (e.g., highgate control), and low-power consumption, the FinFET devices D1 and D2are fabricated with thin, high-k gate dielectric layers. On the otherhand, as noted above, when the FinFET devices in certain device regionsare utilized as I/O transistors which require a relatively large currentflow, the gate structures comprise relatively thick gate dielectriclayers (e.g., silicon oxide) which can withstand time-dependentdielectric breakdown and other gate failure mechanisms that may resultfrom high power applications.

Following the formation of the metal gate structures, amiddle-of-the-line (MOL) process module is performed using knownmaterials and fabrication techniques to form MOL contacts, such asvertical gate, source, and drain contacts, and other device contacts toactive and/or passive components formed as part of a FEOL layer, thedetails of which are not necessary for one of ordinary skill in the artto understand embodiments of the invention as discussed herein. Inaddition, following the MOL process module, a BEOL (back end of line)process module is performed using known materials and fabricationtechniques to form a BEOL interconnect structure to provide connectionsbetween the FinFET devices and other active or passive devices that areformed as part of the FEOL layer, the details of which are not necessaryfor one of ordinary skill in the art to understand embodiments of theinvention as discussed herein.

It is to be understood that the methods discussed herein for fabricatingFinFET devices with uniform height profiles of vertical semiconductorfins can be incorporated as part of various semiconductor processingflows for fabricating other types of semiconductor devices andintegrated circuits with various analog and digital circuitry ormixed-signal circuitry. The integrated circuit dies can be fabricatedwith various devices such as field-effect transistors, bipolartransistors, metal-oxide-semiconductor transistors, diodes, capacitors,inductors, etc. An integrated circuit in accordance with the presentinvention can be employed in applications, hardware, and/or electronicsystems. Suitable hardware and systems for implementing the inventionmay include, but are not limited to, personal computers, communicationnetworks, electronic commerce systems, portable communications devices(e.g., cell phones), solid-state media storage devices, functionalcircuitry, etc. Systems and hardware incorporating such integratedcircuits are considered part of the embodiments described herein. Giventhe teachings of the invention provided herein, one of ordinary skill inthe art will be able to contemplate other implementations andapplications of the techniques of the invention.

Although exemplary embodiments have been described herein with referenceto the accompanying figures, it is to be understood that the inventionis not limited to those precise embodiments, and that various otherchanges and modifications may be made therein by one skilled in the artwithout departing from the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:
 1. A method for fabricating a semiconductor device,comprising: forming a vertical semiconductor fin on a semiconductorsubstrate; forming an isolation layer on the semiconductor substrate,wherein the isolation layer covers a bottom portion of the verticalsemiconductor fin, and wherein an active portion of the verticalsemiconductor fin extends above a surface of the isolation layer;forming a gate structure over a portion of the active portion of thevertical semiconductor fin, wherein the gate structure comprises asacrificial gate oxide layer and a sacrificial gate electrode layerformed over the sacrificial gate oxide layer; opening the gate structureto form a gate opening which exposes the sacrificial gate oxide layer;forming a first etch protection layer on a portion of the isolationlayer exposed within the gate opening; and etching the exposed portionof the sacrificial gate oxide layer to remove the sacrificial gate oxidelayer within the gate opening, wherein the first etch protection layerprotects the exposed portion of the isolation layer from being etchedduring the etching of the sacrificial gate oxide layer.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the first etch protection layer comprises siliconcarbide material and the isolation layer comprises silicon oxidematerial.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing thefirst etch protection layer using an etch process which etches the firstetch protection layer selective to the isolation layer.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein forming the first etch protection layer, comprises:performing an anisotropic deposition process to selectively deposit afirst layer of insulating material on exposed lateral surfaces, whereina portion of the first layer of insulating material forms the first etchprotection layer which covers the portion of the isolation layer exposedwithin the gate opening; forming a second etch protection layer to coverthe first etch protection layer; performing an etch process toselectively remove portions of the first layer of insulating materialwhich are not covered by the second etch protection layer; andperforming an etch process to remove the second etch protection layerselective to the first etch protection layer.
 5. The method of claim 4,wherein performing the anisotropic deposition process comprisesanisotropically depositing a layer of silicon carbide material on theexposed lateral surfaces to form the first etch protection layer.
 6. Themethod of claim 4, wherein forming the second etch protection layercomprises: forming a self-planarizing layer of insulating material tofill the gate opening with the dielectric material; and performing anetch-back process to recess the self-planarizing layer of insulatingmaterial down to a target level which is below an upper surface of theactive portion of the vertical semiconductor fin.
 7. The method of claim1, wherein forming the gate structure comprises selectively growing anoxide layer on a surface of the active portion of the verticalsemiconductor fin which extends above a surface of the isolation layer,wherein sacrificial gate oxide layer comprises the selectively grownoxide layer.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the gatestructure comprises selectively oxidizing a surface of the activeportion of the vertical semiconductor fin which extends above a surfaceof the isolation layer, wherein the sacrificial gate oxide layer of thegate structure comprises the oxidized surface of the active portion ofthe vertical semiconductor fin such that removing the sacrificial gateoxide layer results in thinning of the active portion of the verticalsemiconductor fin.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein forming thevertical semiconductor fin comprises etching a surface of thesemiconductor substrate to form the vertical semiconductor fin, andwherein forming the isolation layer comprises: forming a planarizedlayer of oxide material over the etched surface of the semiconductorsubstrate to cover the vertical semiconductor fin; and performing anetch-back process to recess the planarized layer of oxide material downto a target thickness to form the isolation layer.
 10. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising forming source/drain layers on exposedportions of the vertical semiconductor fin which extend past a gatesidewall spacer of the gate structure on opposing sides of the gatestructure.
 11. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming ametallic gate structure in the gate opening.
 12. A method forfabricating a semiconductor device, comprising: forming a verticalsemiconductor fin on a semiconductor substrate, the verticalsemiconductor fin having a first width; forming an isolation layer onthe semiconductor substrate, wherein the isolation layer covers a bottomportion of the vertical semiconductor fin, and wherein an active portionof the vertical semiconductor fin extends above a surface of theisolation layer; selectively oxidizing a surface of the active portionof the vertical semiconductor fin which extends above a surface of theisolation layer to form a sacrificial gate oxide layer; forming a gatestructure over a portion of the active portion of the verticalsemiconductor fin; opening the gate structure to form a gate openingwhich exposes a portion of the sacrificial gate oxide layer within thegate opening; forming a first etch protection layer on a portion of theisolation layer exposed within the gate opening; and etching the exposedportion of the sacrificial gate oxide layer to remove the sacrificialgate oxide layer within the gate opening, wherein the first etchprotection layer protects the exposed portion of the isolation layerfrom being etched during the etching of the sacrificial gate oxidelayer, and wherein removing the sacrificial gate oxide layer results inthinning of the active portion of the vertical semiconductor fin withinthe gate opening to a second width, which is less than the first widthof a portion of the vertical semiconductor fin covered by the isolationlayer.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first etch protectionlayer comprises silicon carbide material and the isolation layercomprises silicon oxide material.
 14. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising removing the first etch protection layer using an etchprocess which etches the first etch protection layer selective to theisolation layer.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein forming the firstetch protection layer, comprises: performing an anisotropic depositionprocess to selectively deposit a first layer of insulating material onexposed lateral surfaces, wherein a portion of the first layer ofinsulating material forms the first etch protection layer which coversthe portion of the isolation layer exposed within the gate opening;forming a second etch protection layer to cover the first etchprotection layer; performing an etch process to selectively removeportions of the first layer of insulating material which are not coveredby the second etch protection layer; and performing an etch process toremove the second etch protection layer selective to the first etchprotection layer.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein performing theanisotropic deposition process comprises anisotropically depositing alayer of silicon carbide material on the exposed lateral surfaces toform the first etch protection layer.
 17. The method of claim 15,wherein forming the second etch protection layer comprises: forming aself-planarizing layer of insulating material to fill the gate openingwith the dielectric material; and performing an etch-back process torecess the self-planarizing layer of insulating material down to atarget level which is below an upper surface of the active portion ofthe vertical semiconductor fin.
 18. The method of claim 12, whereinforming the vertical semiconductor fin comprises etching a surface ofthe semiconductor substrate to form the vertical semiconductor fin, andwherein forming the isolation layer comprises: forming a planarizedlayer of oxide material over the etched surface of the semiconductorsubstrate to cover the vertical semiconductor fin; and performing anetch-back process to recess the planarized layer of oxide material downto a target thickness, which defines the active portion of the verticalsemiconductor fin.
 19. The method of claim 12, further comprisingforming source/drain layers on exposed portions of the verticalsemiconductor fin which extend past a gate sidewall spacer of the gatestructure on opposing sides of the gate structure.
 20. The method ofclaim 12, further comprising forming a metallic gate structure withinthe gate opening.